Petra

Petra is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan.

Petra Raqmu
Tourists in front of Al Khazneh (The Treasury) at Petra
Location	Ma'an Governorate, Jordan
Coordinates	30°19′43″N 35°26′31″E
Area	264 square kilometres (102 sq mi)[1]
Elevation	810 m (2,657 ft)
Built	possibly as early as 5th century BC [2]
Visitors	918,000 (in 2010)
Governing body	Petra Region Authority
Website	www.visitpetra.jo
Location of Petra Raqmu in Jordan
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: i, iii, iv
Reference	326
Inscription	1985 (9th Session)

It is in a basin among the mountains that run from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.^[3]

History

Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9,000 BC. It became the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom. The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who used Petra because it was near the spice trade routes.^[4]

The Nabataean Kingdom became a client state of the Roman Empire in the first century BC. In 106 AD they lost their independence. Petra's importance declined as sea trade routes developed. Also, an earthquake in 363 AD destroyed many structures.

The Byzantine Era led to the construction of several Christian churches, but the city continued to decline. By the early Islamic era only a handful of nomads lived in Petra. It stayed unknown to the world until it was rediscovered in 1812 by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.^[5][6]

UNESCO Status

Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage".^[7]

Petra is Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction. Tourist numbers peaked to half a million in the first quarter of 2019.^[8]

Lower Petra.
This may have been the place where Mohammed lived his youth and had his first revelations.
As the first Muslim mosques and cemeteries show, it was also the first Qibla of Muslims